


not too frail for fun.

by caticoo



Series: healing takes time. [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: A little bit of angst, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A HALLOWEEN FIC SO HERE WE GO YALL, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, LIKE VERY BIG SPOILERS, M/M, One Shot, Spoilers, for um.... just about everything, not really - Freeform, ok im tired let me live, this is a M-E-S-S....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 19:37:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12589084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caticoo/pseuds/caticoo
Summary: ouma wakes up, and wants to celebrate as soon as he does.halloween prompt.





	not too frail for fun.

**Author's Note:**

> hi. my name is cati! halloween scares me.  
> i'm actually not a huge fan of halloween. i get easily scared, but like ouma, i like candy a lot. i actually wasn't planning on writing this fic, but jess jokingly said that this should be made and like the person i am, i complied.
> 
> takes place in an au where the killing game was just a virtual simulation, and it's similar to how danganronpa 2 was.

Halloween was the first holiday that the cast could celebrate in one piece.

When Saihara awoke from the simulation, he had thought he was once again in a situation similar to that of the time around Miu’s death and that it was all just fun and games. However, it had dawned to Saihara that it all being “just fun and games” was likely the kind of outcome he was hoping for -- it meant all those who had died were still alive, somewhat. And he was correct. Everyone, from Amami to Shirogane, was technically alive -- they were simply in a coma. This, Saihara could live with. At least they were not dead. The only exception out of all of the students was Kiibo who, he was informed, was truly only existent in the “game.”

The students woke up gradually, and it took over a full year for each one to awaken. Harukawa and Yumeno were just as conscious as Saihara once they exited the simulation, and Saihara soon saw a pattern in the way students woke up. First, there was Momota -- in which Harukawa found herself in shambles over, being unable to comprehend words but enough to show her gratitude for Momota’s safety. Miu and Kaede were the second to come to their senses (there was a tearful reunion between he and Kaede, with all the other awakened survivors looking on,) and so forth. Shinguji followed suit, tailed by Gokuhara and Amami. Angie and Tenko woke up at around the same time, much to Yumeno’s happiness.

Tojo had awoken a week or so after Angie and Tenko’s comas were over, and then followed sleepily by Ryoma. By that point, most of the cast was already well and recovered, and only two students remained in slumber -- Tsumugi Shirogane, the puppeteer of the entire game, and Kokichi Ouma. Saihara had already deduced why.

It seemed as if the students woke up in according to their method of death in the game. So long as their body was intact, the quicker they woke up over the course of the entire year -- Momota had been first, as he had succumbed to illness rather a outer physical force, and the latest to wake up was Ryoma, whose body had been eaten alive by piranhas. Tsumugi had been crushed by a boulder, and Ouma, smothered by a hydraulic press -- both leaving very little remains of each other’s bodies, which was why Saihara assumed their comas were taking the longest to escape from.

The cast was still monitored and held by Team Danganronpa, who assured them that their season would be the last. No more would teenagers who had spiraled into an insane obsession with watching other teenagers kill each other would have the enjoyment of seeing the crazy show -- to that, Saihara was thankful, even though  _ he  _ had been one of those insane teenagers at some point in time. It was crazy to think about, but when he was given back a room he had stayed in before his time in the simulation, the words in his diary didn’t lie.  _ “I want to be a smart detective!” _ or  _ “I’ll come up with the craziest deaths!” _ and  _ “I hope they’ll choose me to be the mastermind!” _

It was outright crazy to think he had once thought these things, but the clip Shirogane had shown him during the simulation didn’t look falsified. That part of him was no more, at least, and he would no longer be a wallowing, murder-obsessed boy.

Saihara found himself enjoying parties that his cast-mates threw for other holidays, but something in his heart felt it wrong to celebrate while two students were still in a coma. He could honestly understand -- Shirogane was the mastermind, and Ouma had indirectly been the cause of two deaths (Saihara remembered telling him how utterly  _ alone  _ and  _ pathetic  _ he was, and the memory stained his being). Yet, still, Saihara found compassion for the both of them, admittedly Ouma more than Shirogane -- at least Ouma had some good intentions in the very end, according to Momota’s word. Saihara was sure that Ouma knew when a lie was necessary and a lie was not -- and just before his death, he liked to think, Ouma was a fib-free man.

Saihara spent some of his days watching Ouma’s case, enclosed by glass, and seeing how peacefully asleep he was in his comatose state. He found himself wishing he was just a little more patient with him, regretting telling him such harsh words during the killing game -- the way Ouma had acted was inexcusable, but his sacrifice was noble. After all, his death (and Momota’s) was the last that would take place -- Kiibo’s sacrifice was necessary, and Shirogane’s execution was to be expected. Saihara also found himself wondering when Ouma’d wake up, exactly, so he could possibly heal their relationship, even by a smidge.

He wanted to sincerely make it up to him.

 

* * *

 

Shirogane had woken up roughly two weeks before Halloween, and Ouma, one week.

The cast treated Shirogane with a bit of awkwardness and unsure hostility when she had first awoken. The cosplayer needed to be treated to a wheelchair, as her legs were still frail from the crush of the boulder -- Amami gladly took up the job of wheeling her around, and the two were often seen conversing quietly about things. Although some had some silent resentment for Shirogane, they knew that she, too, was also simply another pawn in the giant game -- Amami seemed to acknowledge this the most despite being killed by her. Saihara deduced it was probably because they had now endured two games together -- it would probably be the best for Shirogane to heal her tangled mind by the hands of someone who had seen the most of her, even if his memories were still a bit foggy.

There was even less of a rejoice when Ouma had woken up. Gokuhara had graciously greeted him with smiles, but most of the rest of the case simply looked on quietly or with silent resentment -- it took all of Harukawa’s strength to silence Iruma from immediately calling him an abortion as soon as he woke up, cursing him out for his meddling. That was right -- most everyone wasn’t aware of Ouma’s sacrifice as most were already dead by the time it happened, and it took some rough explaining by Momota to convince the others that Ouma had some good in his heart.

Ouma was also frail and couldn’t walk for the first couple of days, but his hardiness came through and he was making small saunters around the living quarters of the cast only three days after his awakening. He acted just the same as he did in the killing game, albeit watered down with how weak he was -- he didn’t jump up and down, didn’t cause and stir that would have Iruma or Harukawa strangling him. Ouma had still made jokes, still proved to be annoying at times, but it seemed he truly didn’t wish to provoke “fun” out of people quite yet.

“Thank you for that,” Saihara had told him one evening, a couple days before Halloween. Even though most of the cast had matured well past the trick-or-treating stage, most had agreed to dressing up and maybe hitting the nearby neighborhoods, just for the fun of it -- Ryoma had decided to skip that year, and Amami and Shirogane would stay as well in order to keep his company (not to mention, Shirogane was still wheelchair-bound, but to make up for her poor treatment of the cast, she had offered to make costumes to the best of her ability). Saihara had made the effort of spending a little time with Ouma every day after his awakening, and the time didn’t go unnoticed by the supreme leader -- soon enough, Ouma was the one that made the initiative of finding Saihara throughout the day and spending time beside him.

“Nishishi~ it’s only because I got super bored of annoying these guys. They all have the same reactions as ever! Even death couldn’t really change them, huh?” Ouma asked, seeing the slight glint of disapproval in Saihara’s gaze before quietly softening himself up. “Plus, Kii-boy isn’t around, so I can’t go off pestering  _ him  _ anymore. And Harukawa, Iruma and Chabashira’s threats get tiring after a while.”

“I could assume…,” Saihara agreed warily, thinking about being in Ouma’s shoes. He definitely wouldn’t want to be on the bad end of any of their female friends.

“Plus, I think it’s much more fun to hang out with you. You don’t stink like shit, you don’t strangle me at every opportunity, and you actually enjoy my company, don’tcha, Saihara-chan?” Ouma teased. “Nishishi~ I’m kidding. I bet you’re just pity hanging out with me, huh?”

“What?” Saihara snapped, looking straight at the frail boy. Ouma chose to don his killing game attire, completed with the all-white outfit and the checkered scarf, yet whenever Saihara took a glance at him, he could only imagine him being bound to a hospital gown. “That’s… that’s not true. I want to make it up to you.”

“Oho~? Make what up?” Ouma inquired, and Saihara expected him to continue, thinking he knew, but was met only with silence.

“...Oh. Ah… you know. For the way that I treated you sometimes during the killing game,” Saihara explained, fumbling with the cup of tea in his hands. The two were seated in a nice, sun-lit lounge, and were sharing drinks. “The way you acted all the time was frustrating, Ouma, but that didn’t give me the right to call you some of the things I did. I regretted not figuring you out a little more before… you know.”

Ouma remained silent some, processing this information. The supreme leader let out a satisfied huff, “You seem to care so much more now, Saihara-chan. Could it be that I touched your heart some?”

“Well… I think I always cared. I just… well, I didn’t exactly know  _ how  _ to care, I guess,” Saihara’s words were tumbling against each other, and he tripped over his own wishes to say something plausible. “...I’m sorry about the way I treated you, Ouma, especially after Iruma and Gokuhara’s deaths. I think a lot of us were just angry.”

“Ah, well, I know that! You just can’t help people sometimes,” Ouma mused. “But in the end, you guys weren’t soft, huh? You were strong enough to persevere and deal with the mastermind. ‘Cause if you coulda figured out  _ my  _ trick, you could have certainly figured out the mastermind’s!”

Saihara sighed through his nostrils, and gave Ouma a complacent smile, “...I think your case did help, Ouma. Thank you.”

“Yeah yeah,” Ouma waved his hand, as if it didn’t mean much to him. Something told Saihara otherwise. “Hey! I know. Let’s go in matching outfits on Halloween!”

 

* * *

 

Halloween night had approached faster than Saihara had thought.

It surprised him that Ouma wanted to celebrate Halloween, but at the same time it proved to be expected -- it was a holiday meant for someone like Ouma. He could freely scare, dress up, and mess around with people, and in the end, he got candy of all things out of it. There was absolutely no reason why Ouma would willingly skip out, even if his legs can broken and he was as frail as he was at the moment. His strength was still recovering, but with the approach of the holiday, Saihara had noticed he was trying harder to heal his bones and body.

Not only this, but Ouma had made him promise that the outfit would be held a secret from Saihara himself until the fated evening. The promise scared him some, admittingly -- who  _ knew  _ what Ouma was planning (well, probably Shirogane, who Ouma had specifically requested make the outfit in the limited time [Shirogane was happy to oblige.]) For all Saihara knew, he could have planned to dress Saihara as a giant Panta, or even choose to strip him down to his underwear and wear something ridiculous like fidget spinners on his nipples. He’d have to wait until Halloween evening.

The promise was held so far that Ouma was able to persuade the detective to covering his eyes while he dressed him (it was admittedly a little embarrassing having Ouma dress him, but Ouma had sung that they were practically close friends already, and “baring it all” wouldn’t be strange at all.) Saihara heard clanks of what he assumed to be plastic of some sort, and he had been fitted with loose-feeling pants. When his foot traced a shoe, it went up to his knee -- boots. The other parts of the costume he couldn’t quite decipher, but at least he was aware that he was getting dressed with not only just a shirt, but a heavy-weighted coat, too.

Some more accessories seemed to be draped and fitted onto him until Saihara felt a little too overdressed -- just as this feeling crept onto him, Ouma sang, “Dooone~!” Ouma removed the blindfold, and Saihara was immediately met with his reflection -- he was dressed as a pirate, a surprisingly normal choice for someone like Ouma. The detective blinked, putting out his arms and looking for any sort of Ouma dashed into the outfit -- but none were found. It was a perfectly normal pirate costume, and if anything, fitted Saihara more than anyone else. After all, Shirogane had made it specifically for him.

“Huh… this is surprisingly…,” Saihara trailed off, not wanting to offend Ouma. The boy snickered.

“ _ Boring _ , huh? I know. Not for long, though! You just need the perfect accessory!” Ouma cheered, which caused Saihara to tilt his head. The supreme leader made his way out of the dressing space and into a new area. “Just wait there, Saihara-chan, and you’ll see.” Ouma’s choice seemed to be way too good to be true -- Saihara admired himself in the mirror fondly. Shirogane never disappointed when it came to costumes, and this one was no exception -- it fitted Saihara perfectly, everything from the coat to the boots, which he was sure Shirogane hadn’t crafted. He never cared much for his own appearance, but he couldn’t help but bask in it for a small while before Ouma’s voice caught his attention.

“Nishishi! Here I am, Saihara-chan!” Ouma cheerily sang as Saihara turned towards his direction -- he was immediately hit with the catch. The supreme leader was dressed in a  _ ridiculously  _ childish-looking parrot costume, looking as if it was crafted by Ouma himself. Ouma posed dramatically in front of the detective. “So? What do you think?”

“You’re a… parrot,” Saihara was connecting the dots. “...So you--”

“Yup! Now carry me on your shoulders, Saihara-chan!” Ouma hurled himself towards the pirate, and Saihara weakly, but successfully, caught him in his arms -- afraid if he didn’t, Ouma would break into a pile of bones on the floor. Ouma laughed. “Ahahah! You looked so scared!”

“B-Because--!” Saihara tried, but was ultimately defeated by Ouma snuggling fondly into his chest. He exhaled, trying his hardest to keep him up as he looked for a soft cushion to place him on. Ouma cooed.

“My  _ captain _ ~”

 

* * *

 

The catch of the outfit was that Saihara had to lug Ouma everywhere he went.

Even though Ouma was the one that was holding the candy, it only added more weight that would be supported by Saihara’s strength. Piggy-backing wasn’t entirely bad, and it was the compromise that the two had made -- Shirogane had already made both of their outfits (though it was hard to believe she had done such a poor job with Ouma’s parrot costume, unless Ouma specifically asked it to look cheap,) so there was no use in not dressing up. Saihara would have felt terrible for it too, but there was no way his back would appreciate having Ouma sitting on his shoulders the entire evening. Thus, piggy-backing was the agreement the two settled on.

Maybe it was best that this was the case, too. After all, if Ouma was on his own, there was the possibility of him leaving Saihara to the dust and committing his usual mischief. Furthermore, there was the possibility of him getting hurt out of Saihara’s eyes if this was the case -- with how weak-boned he was, this was a situation that Saihara would try his best to avoid. The cast would traverse to the nearby neighborhood in a group, but agreed to split up if necessary or by wish -- they would all be returning to the headquarters once their fun was over. Yonaga, who was dressed as an angel, had complimented Saihara and Ouma’s matching outfit, and Gokuhara, who donned himself in a surprisingly plain but unique costume of a simple egg (Saihara assumed Ouma had suggested this outfit,) also praised the two for their matching costumes. Amami, who had bid the cast farewell alongside Ryoma and Shirogane, had also commented on their costumes, and had compared the two to a quirky couple. This comment made Ouma giggle and Saihara blush.

The evening carried on quietly, and Ouma was surprisingly obedient save for a couple times where he hopped off of Saihara’s back to toy with a decoration or two at a house. The added height allowed Ouma to whack any pop-up Halloweeners on porches or near garages, probably causing a red mark or two once or twice (Saihara had to apologize for Ouma’s antics), but overall, Ouma messed around much less than he had anticipated. For the most part, he kept close to Saihara’s warmth, and spouted random parrot-talk to passing trick-or-treaters and children. Some children even fondly called them out, saying, “Look! They’ve got a cool matchy outfit!” It wasn’t bad. Not at all.

Some other kids didn’t think the same, however, particularly annoying looking junior highschoolers. They called the two several slurs and  _ gay _ , and even went as far as throwing some small pebbles at the two. Saihara sped his walk up as Ouma yelled insults that could outmatch Iruma’s. The two stopped under a particularly eerie, looming tree and settled right under it -- Saihara catching his breath, as Ouma dismounted. Ouma peered cheekily into his pillow case once he hopped off of Saihara’s back, looking satisfied, “Hah! Those little shits were just jealous of our loot. Check it out.”

Saihara glanced inside the pillow case -- indeed, it was filled nearly to the brim. Saihara gave a complacent, triumphed smile, “We got a lot of candy, definitely… but you’ll get unhealthy and grow cavities of you eat all of that by yourself, you know.”

“Hey, if my daily diet can withstand a liter of Panta, then it sure can stand a candy or ten,” Ouma sung, grabbing a lollipop from the top of the pile and unwrapping it carelessly. The wrapping was thrown back into the pillow-case as Ouma held no hesitation in beginning to suck. The pair stayed where they were, simply watching more kids and trick-or-treaters enjoying themselves, as Saihara bought up conversation again.

“Ah, Ouma… could I see your back?” Saihara asked. Ouma looked at him quizzically.

“What? So you can admire my  _ curves _ ?” Ouma joked, laughing at his own comment. Saihara half-heartedly smiled, but kept his usual serious look. “Alright, fine. But don’t get all touchy, pervert.”

Ouma turned his back towards Saihara, and allowed him to raise the top of his parrot outfit -- and, much to his expectation and horror, he was met with a litter of purple bruises scattered across Ouma’s back.  _ Those damn kids _ , Saihara thought to himself, as he piped up, “Um… you have bruises on your back.”

“I do? Huh. Looks like I’ll have to kill those kids!” Ouma chimed, and when Saihara held no response other than a hard gaze at each bruise, Ouma humphed. “I’m fine, Saihara-chan. Geez. At least play along with a joke or two…”

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Ouma,” Saihara mumbled. “...Can I touch them? I won’t squeeze. If it hurts, you need to tell me.”

“Fiiine,” Ouma whined, and Saihara was given the cue to trace the bruises on Ouma’s back. “They don’t hurt, y’know.”

Saihara stayed silent, wondering if Ouma was lying about the pain in order to continue trick-or-treating -- their loot had already been more than enough, though, so even if Ouma wanted to continue searching for candy, Saihara wouldn’t let him. The detective sighed, “...Come on. Let’s go home.”

“Whaaat? But the night’s still young! You can’t make me, Saihara-chan!” Ouma wailed, whipping his head over his shoulder and looking at the pirate, tearful-eyed. Saihara sighed.

“Listen… how about we go home, and, um, watch a scary movie or something? ...I’m going to watch how much candy you eat after today, but I’ll let you gorge as much as you want tonight if you’ll let me take you home,” Saihara compromised, and Ouma turned his body to face Saihara, looking to genuinely consider the situation. Ouma’s thoughtful face became a smile.

“Hmmm. Okay! But only if Ouma gets whatever Ouma wants!” Ouma added on, and Saihara once again found himself sighing through his nostrils -- despite that, he smiled. Ouma had been talking in third-person to accommodate his parrot outfit. Saihara nodded, and as Ouma settled himself onto Saihara’s back again, the pirate setted for their home.

“Hey, Saihara-chan!”

“Yes?”

“Ouma wants a kiss!”

**Author's Note:**

> this one was a real big Mess(TM) and a big self indulgence. so sorry. i will deliver my saiouma content better later in the week.
> 
> happy halloween everyone!


End file.
